Men's Basketball Signs Highest-Ever Rated Player In School History
12/6/2010 4:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The College of Charleston men's basketball program has added two more signees to an already talented fall recruiting class including the highest-ever rated player in school history as announced by head coach Bobby Cremins on Monday.
The Cougars will welcome Adjehi Baru (pronounced AY-jie (rhymes with pie) Buh-ROO), a 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward/center and Patrick Branin, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound shooting guard, who are both teammates at The Steward School in Richmond, Va., for the 2011-12 season. Baru and Branin are currently the 1-2 punch for head coach Elliott Gravitt and the Steward Spartans.
“We are delighted to have Adjehi Baru and Patrick Branin join our program,” College of Charleston head coach Bobby Cremins said. “Adjehi is from the Ivory Coast and is very fortunate to have the Branins as his extended family. He is a very bright young man and is continuing to learn how to play the game. He has all of the tools to develop into a very fine player. Patrick is a good shooter with a great work ethic.
“I first met them when the Branin Family (which includes Patrick's father, Tim, mother, Jennifer, daughter, Carter, and younger son, Timmy) stopped by Charleston on their way back from Florida to look at our College. They fell in love with our city and felt at home on our campus. With our other two signees, Anthony Stitt and Trevonte Dixon, I feel we've had a great recruiting year and we look forward to coaching these young men next season.”
Baru was one of the last unsigned ESPNU Top 100 players still available in the early signing period and also made visits to Maryland, Virginia Tech and North Carolina before making his final decision. He was rated the No. 26 overall prospect by Rivals.com, No. 29 overall prospect by Scout.com and No. 46 overall prospect and the third highest-rated big man in the Class of 2011 by ESPN College Basketball Recruiting. Baru, who possesses a 7-foot-5 wingspan and 35-inch vertical, played AAU summer basketball for Team Loaded under the direction of head coach Ty White.
The top basketball prospect in the state of Virginia, Baru was also listed as one of the top 12 rising seniors by the ACC Sports Journal. He also attended the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Top 100 Camp held this past June in Charlottesville, Va.
“The first thing that stands out with Adjehi is he is a tremendous person,” Cremins said. “He is a conscientious and caring person. He has an infectious personality. Once you get to know him, he is funny and has a great sense of humor. The city of Charleston will really embrace him as a player and a person.”
Originally from the Ivory Coast, Baru is fluent in French, his native language, and has learned English during the two years he has lived in the U.S. He would like to major in math, computers or international trade at The College and currently carries an impressive 3.54 grade-point average at The Steward School, a small private school with high academic standards. As a junior, he averaged 13.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.0 blocks per game making him one of the top 20 prospects in the country at the time.
“As far as a basketball player, he has great athleticism,” Cremins said. “He runs the floor like a guard and has great energy. He plays very hard. I don't know if we saw anybody this summer on the AAU circuit that played harder than him, which is very admirable.”
Branin, who is well-known for his outside shooting and accuracy, shot 37 percent with 48 three-pointers from behind the arc and 73 percent from the charity stripe last season for the Spartans. He averaged 14.0 points, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game as a junior. A two-time All-VCC Honorable Mention selection, Branin is averaging 18.5 points a game during his current senior campaign and holds a 3.5 GPA. “Patrick is a very good student and great teammate of Adjehi,” said Cremins.
Baru and Branin join fellow signees Anthony Stitt, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound point guard out of Butler High School in Matthews, N.C., and Trevonte Dixon, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound shooting guard out of Christ School in Arden, N.C.
“We definitely filled important needs with this year' signing class,” Cremins said. “We are losing three great seniors in Andrew Goudelock, Donavan Monroe and Jeremy Simmons – guys who have been the foundation of our program over the last couple of years.”
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT ADJEHI BARU AND PATRICK BRANIN
“Right now, Adjehi's defense is ahead of his offense, but his offense is coming along very rapidly. He can make a 15, 16, 18-foot jump shot. It wouldn't surprise me if he could work his way out to the three-point line by the time he came to Charleston. He has improved his ball handling and dribbling. He can catch the ball in the post, and one of the things that goes unnoticed, is what a great feel for the game he has. He is a very good passer in the post. He sees guys cutting and makes the right play. He is a good teammate and our guys are going to like being around him.” – CofC associate head coach Mark Byington
“Many analysts use words like “motor,” “toughness” and “intensity” to describe Baru's game. He runs extremely hard from end-to-end of the court, and once there, he participates aggressively in each play. One of the dividing lines between successful and disappointing big men is work rate, and Baru makes himself a part of the action in nearly every possession.” – ESPN College Basketball Recruiting
“Adjehi Baru and Team Loaded surprised everyone when it won the prestigious Pitt Hoop Group Jam Fest and by defeating other nationally-ranked programs such as CP3 and Ohio Basketball Club. After watching Adjehi in many early season tournaments, it was crystal clear there was not a more agile and athletic 6-foot-9 player in the country and he became a crowd favorite with his athleticism, high intensity level and high motor. Adjehi simply played the game hard and gave 100 percent effort each and every game.” – Phenom Hoop Report
“Patrick's best asset is being a shooter. He catches and shoots the ball very well. He also has a good feel for the game and knows how to make the right basketball play.” – CofC associate head coach Mark Byington
2011-12 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON MEN'S BASKETBALL SIGNEES
Adjehi Baru, F/C, 6-9, 225, The Steward School, Ivory Coast
Patrick Branin, G, 6-1, 170, The Steward School, Richmond, Va.
Trevonte Dixon, G, 6-4, 190, Christ School (N.C.), Florence, S.C.
Anthony Stitt, G, 6-1, 170, Butler High School, Matthews, N.C.
